Reflection
by Catsitta
Summary: Reno was not supposed to be the hero, but the Planet is not giving him a choice. Can a second chance at life be his redemption or will he fall from grace yet again? Time Travel. Alternate Universe. Rating may rise. M/M and M/F pairings.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Ah, hello there! This is yet another one of Catsitta's infamous time travel fics, except this time, there is a new star in the spotlight. Cloud gets sent back in time more often than not, but what about Reno? One of those 'What if' fics that has been bouncing around inside my head, begging to be written.

Probably will end up a three to five shot, like _Cause and Effect_ and _The Battle of Nibelheim_. Speaking of which, I am almost finished with the Epilogue of Cause and Effect and it should be posted either later this week, or sometime in June (I'm moving out of the state I'm living in come June 2nd). Also, for fans of Fourth Time's the Charm, chapter thirty-six is in the works. Hehe. I've been really busy lately and stress has been eating my plot bunnies. So, please enjoy, review and favorite! I do read every review and appreciate them, even if I do not always have a chance to reply (soon I will have access to a computer that does not have a personal feud with Fanfiction dot Net).

Anywho, I'm rambling. Onto the story!

**Word Count: **2,305

**Pairing(s)(undetermined): **RenoxCloud(?), SephirothxCloud(?), ZackxAerith(?)

**Disclaimer: ** I own nothing except the plot. This venture is for fun and not profit.

**Reflection**

**By Catsitta**

**Act I **

—_The act of reflecting or the state of being reflected_—

It was hardly the first time a stranger crawled their way into the underplate slums, but this one caught their attention. Men and women paused to watch as the boy, no older than nine or ten, slugs through the muck and darkness, alone and with a bowed head. A gray, tattered suit jacket lays loose over slim shoulders, large enough to swallow up his small frame like a cloak.

He stumbles now and then, ill-fitting dress shoes catching against a bit of rubbish, but the boy continues his lonely trek.

What strikes the slum dwellers as unusual is not his state of dress but rather the void expression drawn tight upon his angular features. Malnutrition has stripped away the youthful roundness of a child's face, replacing it with a visage of a much older man, one with a triangular jaw and pointed chin; eyes sunken and cradled on half-moon bruises swollen from lack of sleep. Those very eyes are like glass, glistening in the rare spots of light in the underplate darkness, yet otherwise lifeless and dull.

Such pretty eyes, though, one might remark. They are narrow and slightly feline, the iris a smoky shade of green—a sharp contrast to the crimson of his hair. Short, dirtied and tangled are the boy's striking locks, and ragged bangs stick against half-healed wounds, ones more likely than not to scar.

It is a common thing, abuse. Children and wives are often beaten without repercussion done to their abuser. But the marks on the empty-eyed child are livid, angry sores—fresh, untended and left to fester.

Eventually, and expectedly, the boy succumbs to his hurts and crumples to the ground, one arm outstretched towards the doorstep of a long since abandoned church. Empty green eyes spark momentarily with life, before a shudder passes through his body and he goes limp with unconsciousness.

No one knows where is from and it is a wise rule to follow in the slums to leave strangers well alone.

Perhaps that is why no one comes to the boy's aid…except an eight-year-old girl who once dreamt of his name. A girl with demons in her own past to face…and in her own future to endure. One with emerald eyes pulsating with the very light of life and a small, white flower in her hair.

000X000

_Cigarette smoke escapes his lips as he lets out a ragged breath. The sweetened smoke spills forth in a wispy cloud of white, swirling and curling in the murky gloom. Then, a cough rattles his body and as it subsides, he cusses and takes in another deep inhalation of his favored vice. Countless people told him to stop it, that he would kill himself, rot out his lungs and all that crap. _

_ Tck. He was a Turk and one of the best at that! Cigarettes would be the last thing on the list to kill him. Even the alcohol he drowned himself deep within at any possible opportunity had little chance of snuffing out his miserable existence. No. He was a killer. He had lived his life that way and it was how he would die. Either on a mission with a sinful breed of honor, or at the hands of another killer, be it Turk or a different assassin._

_ A smirk crept onto his lips. _

_ Laughter threatened to escape his chest._

_ So he shook his head and drew in one last breath of poison, before flicking away the dying embers from his fingertips._

_ This was how his life was and would always be. A pathetic existence carved out in the flesh and bones of his assigned targets. He was a lapdog. A hired hand. There was no changing. Once a Turk always a Turk, and a Turk did his duty until the day he died—and in the process, they all fell from grace. Precious innocence is forever lost, stained with blood until there is nothing but crimson memories better left forgotten._

_ How long had it been since he had last dared to be defiant? He could not remember. It was a façade, his cool albeit toxic arrogance. Who he was inside was but a hollow shell? A puppet. More so than even the Remnants of those woebegone days long ago. His childish, rebellious nature was crippled way before then, hadn't it? Yes. When the President snapped, he came to attention. _

_ It never bothered him._

_ Not even now._

_ Even while he sat here alone in the darkness of some abandoned district in Edge. He could faintly remember when the town was new. Midgar was but smoky memories now. Not that it was very important to remember either…Although, it might have been nice to recall why he remained here…And perhaps, maybe, what his name was._

_ Yes, his name. Of all the things stripped from him when he became a Turk, his name was the first. Now, some thirty years after the fact, he wanted it back. He wanted to remember who he was before he became Reno. Because Reno is a liar with a charming smile and wicked temper. Reno is a deadly killer practiced in the art of murder. Reno is a smooth talker who always had a knack for getting into trouble, and using his wits and fists to get out of it._

_ Reno is a Turk, through and through. ._

_ He closed his eyes, his smirk fading. Calloused fingertips traced the scars marking his face. Scars he traced over with tattoos, forever imprinting in crimson the blood he bled. The very blood that proved to remind him that he was human…no matter how many times he came to doubt it after a stone-cold kill._

_ Alive…yes, Reno was alive, but he was not living. What kind of life was it, that of a Turk? Looking back, he knew that it was the only life for him…the only path that opened. He was a fighter, willing to endure all trials ahead with stubborn ambition—pride and honor be damned. _

_ Feeling old sorrows well up, the redhead lit another cigarette. _

_ There was nothing better for him to do than sit here and wait…_

_ And wait he did._

_ He waited until the target he had been waiting to meet for the past six hours made his appearance before unsheathing his EMR. Fighting was something inherently familiar. An act ingrained into every bone and muscle until his body moved on its own accord, allowing him to let his mind go blank, and the thoughtless killer to emerge. _

_ What he did not expect, however, was for his target to carry that same reckless abandon. The eco-terrorist, a non-descript man with a revolver on one hip, made his approach with a crazed grin. By the time Reno had a chance to realize what he held clasped in a gloved hand, it was too late. A button was pushed on a PHS and everything went white._

_ Glass shattered. Cement cracked. Skin burned. _

_ His heart pounded franticly…then it slowed._

_ The white cleared. He lay prone on the floor, his heartbeat echoing inside his skull, pounding the sound against his brain. A strange numbness held his limbs and he could not catch his breath. Warmth and cold battled each other beneath his skin, and there was a puddle of damp beneath his frame. Was it blood? His blood?_

_ A soft voice murmured something unintelligible at the outskirts of his mind._

_ Then, the world once again plunged into blinding white, his very essence drawn free of the mortal body in which it inhabited._

_ "_You're dying."

_Reno wanted to laugh…He was hearing voices…_

"You don't want to die, not yet…do you?"

_Of course not. His life was a miserable one, but he was looking forwards to many more years of pitiful existence, if just to continuing screwing with President Rufus' and his fellow Turks' minds. _

"There is something you have not had a chance to accomplish. Something that could change everything…save everyone."

_"What are yah blabberin' 'bout?" Reno asked the light imbued void, only mildly curious to where that voice was coming from. It sounded familiar…Soft, feminine and loving in a sisterly sort of way._

"I am giving you that chance."

_The light began to pulse, like a heartbeat, green entwining with the white in a glittery display._

"Be brave, Reno. Find your Light. Fight the Darkness before it consumes your soul. Become who you were supposed to be. This is your story unwritten. Make it true."

_"I'm no hero…" Reno murmured._

"Not yet."

000X000

"Reno."

The boy opened his eyes, confusion flooding him as he stared into emerald irises. A faint smile drifted onto the little girl's lips and she began to card her fingers through his hair. Reno recognized those eyes…that face.

"Aerith?"

"Welcome back."

"B-but you're dead!"

The brunette giggled softly and pressed a dainty kiss on his forehead,"So are you."

"Then how?"

"The Planet works in mysterious ways, Reno. Never easy to understand."

There was a pregnant pause as the two children—with memories of their broken selves—stared at each other. "I dropped the Sector 7 plate… I've killed 'cause a man told me to pull a trigger… I helped kidnap you…tried to kill you…your friends…why?" Reno shook his head with disbelief, "Why me?"

"Because no one else can." Aerith's expression and words were grave, a stark contrast to her previously lighthearted demeanor. "You're the Planet's chosen, Reno. She saw in you a chance for salvation. A Light in the Dark. You can save Her. You can forge the path that will circumvent the Fall of Angels, Calamity's Rebirth and the Weapon's Awakening. You can stop the Crisis. The Geostigma. Everything!" Her rising pitch dropped and she added in the merest whisper, "All you have to do is save yourself."

"One life aint gonna make that kinda difference." Was Reno's bitter retort.

"The flapping of a single butterfly's wings can cause a tsunami on the other side of the world."

"What?"

"One individual can take the single action that changes everything as we know it. Your choices will determine the Planet's fate, Her life or Her death."

"Well aint that a kick in the pants…"

"Huh?"

"Nuthin'…" Reno pushed himself up so that he was sitting, cringing slightly at the stiffness in his muscles, "But hey, can yah tell me at all how this…time travel stuff works…like, how did the Planet send me back or why today of all days…"

Aerith placed a hand on his shoulder and urged for him to lay back down, "I don't know how the Planet works Her ways. I merely hear Her cries…Her whims. She sings for you, Reno. She sings of sadness and pain, of loss and a mother's love."

Faded, forgotten memories welled up to the surface at those words. Reno's hands drifted to his face and his fingers stroked smooth, new skin. Scars. Scars left for him to always carry, a reminder of his first failure and earliest brush with death. His mother—a once beautiful overplate gem whose family fell into debt and, ultimately, the slums—took ill from pneumonia and was bedridden for a week before fever overcame her and stole away her life. Reno was eight at the time and knew plenty about death. Tears refused to come to his eyes as he watched his mother's body grow still. And they still refused to fall when his father—more rat than man for all his tricks and lies—came home drunk and violent.

He kicked his son out of his home that day, bloodied and bruised, too weak from poverty to do much more than stumble away. At some point, he gave up on staying on his feet and as he fell to his knees, he prayed for death to come, to steal him away and return him to his mother's arms.

But the clothes he wore…Reno, snapping free of his memories, realized were not the same as then. No, they belonged to him all right, but not at this point in time. If he looked closely enough, he could see that the gray fabric was, in fact, faded navy. The white dress shirt beneath bore old stains and cigarette burns. This was his Turk suit. But how…?

Aerith's hands closed over his own and she smiled with sympathy in her eyes.

It was too much for Reno.

"I'm no hero…"

"Not yet."

"I'm just a slum rat…I'm ShinRa's lapdog. I do the dirty work with a smile, yo!"

A wry smile played upon petal-shaped lips,"Not yet."

"Not…yet?" Reno frowned, taking a moment to process what he was hearing. Not yet. Then it hit him. This was supposed to be his story unwritten. Nothing was yet set in stone. He was not a Turk. He had never taken a life. He was free of every bind that once tangled him up. So why did he feel chained down? Broken? "Aerith…This is crazy."

"Life never is an easy road."

"What am I supposed to do, huh?" Reno cringed inwardly as a sharp pain lashed at his nerves. "I'm a kid. A slum rat at that. The only way I got outta the slums was tah join the Turks. And once you're in, you aint ever getting' out."

"I can't give you the answers, Reno. You have to find them on your own."

"What about you then, huh? What are you gonna do now that you're here and alive again?"

"Wait and watch." Aerith stood up and smoothed the wrinkles in her dress. "I'm a Cetra, Reno. My people bend to fate; we do not force our wills upon it. But you are human, and your kind can and does change fate. And you in particular are ruthless and willing enough to do so."

They again fell silent, green eyes locked together in a clash of wills.

Neither side relented.

000**TBC**000

**A/N: Please review! Reviews make me happy and usually inspire me to write. Thanks for reading. =3**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**

Happy Birthday to me! I have finally settled down in a new state, and now have furniture. Movers came yesterday, it poured down rain the entire time, and it took until 2 a.m. before they finished. But, all things considered, things went well.

Hope to continue writing, and I have more ideas in store to watch out for new stories. Also, pay attention to my older works too since I'm going to go on an updating/editing rampage.

To all who reviewed, thank you so much.

Reading them, on all my stories, has kept me motivated and entertained at those odd moments where I felt discouraged during this stressful period of change in my life. I mean, hey, it's not everyday you move states, prepare for college and juggle the start of adulthood. Surreal, almost. But certainly interesting.

**Word Count: **1,925 (short, I know)

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing!

**Reflection**

**By Catsitta**

_-A thought occurring in consideration or meditation—_

**Act II**

Elmyra was none too happy about her daughter dragging a boy from the streets home, but aside from frown, she did nothing against Reno. In fact, within a few days it was as if he had always been part of the family. After a few weeks, she even began to refer to him as her son.

A year passed and before Reno had a chance to stop himself, he called her Ma.

It was a slip of the tongue sort of thing, but judging by the sad smile on the older woman's lips, it was not a misstep.

Having a family was nice and Reno was tempted to forget all the nonsense with time travel and becoming a hero. But in that not-so-funny way things always seemed to happen, his past and future collided, reminding him of what he was supposed to do.

000X000

"Let me go! I won't go back. Please, just let me go." It was Aerith. The young girl was openly sobbing as she twisted and tried to wrench away from the Turk that held both her wrists. "Please…I can't go back…Hojo is a monster! Don't make me go…please." Tears rolled down her cheeks, carving crimson paths along pale skin.

Reno, whom had taken up duty as her personal bodyguard, kicked and bucked as he attempted to free himself. The Turks burst in earlier that morning just as Aerith settled in her garden. They did not bother with trying to talk or persuade—there was no point when the target knew who you were and what your purpose was. In a matter of seconds, the three suit-wearing men over came the two children having every intention of taking the poor Cetra back to Hojo for his Promise Land experiments.

But what they did not know was that Reno had no intention of going down without a fight. As Aerith was gagged and tied by the first man (whom was none other than a teenaged version of Tseng), Reno squirmed and bit down hard on his captor's hand. The Turk, a teen that looked younger than Tseng even, whom he believed was Rod in the time before he cut and dyed his hair, let out a shout of pain, releasing his hold on the boy.

The redhead snarled and spat out a mouthful of blood with a sneer. As his opponent recovered from the shock of being injured by such a minor threat, he swung his elbow up and hit the teen just below his ribs, striking as hard as he could into his diaphragm. Rod let out a gasp, surprised, and before he had time to register what was going on, Reno pulled free landed a solid blow to the teen's groin. It was foul play, certainly, but when it came to slum life or Turk life, there was no _fair_.

A second later, Reno had a hold of Rod's namesake weapon, a short staff made of steel with a lead core. Unfortunately, it was much too heavy for his ten-year-old body to use with any efficiency, but it would have to do.

With a cry, he swung the staff with all his might, aiming for between Rod's hunched shoulder blades.

His strike never connected.

The third man, a gun toting stranger that Reno did not even vaguely recognize, caught the weapon with an open palm—there was a satisfying crunch of bone at least—and ripped it away from the redhead. Metal clattered against the wooden panels of the floor and darkened-lenses focused on the boy that dare attack a Turk.

Reno smirked, hiding his terror behind a mask of arrogant confidence.

A pistol came to aim between his two eyes.

"Do it," the redhead challenged, seriousness glinting in his tone, conflicting with the lazy drawl of a slum-bred accent, "Shoot me yah ShinRa bastard!"

The man wore no expression, merely kept aiming that wicked gun, posture relaxed yet poised to react at a moment's notice.

"RENO!"

His breath hitched and the redhead found himself glancing in the half-Cetra's direction. Aerith was flailing like a fish in Tseng's arms, scratching and biting her way to some semblance of freedom. Her eyes were wide with an unfamiliar kind of fear—yes fear. The girl who faced death with a shy smile and was willing to sacrifice her life for Holy, was afraid. Afraid of Hojo. The man gave more reasons to hate his guts every day it seemed.

"I can't go back…" she whispered, her voice broken from crying and screaming. It was unsettling how someone so calm and resolute, could look so haggard. After countless battles, death and rebirth—Aerith did not deserve this. She was a hero in her own right; even a villain such as himself recognized the fact.

"You won't, Aer. Promise."

"How cute," the strange Turk remarked dryly,"the rat is protecting the little flower girl."

"Yah, what of it scumbag?"

"Enough!" Tseng cut it, he had managed to tie a scarf around Aerith's mouth and handcuffed her dainty wrists together. "We're done here. Either shoot the rat or let it run off into the gutter."

"With pleasure."

A trigger was pulled. A shot fired. And Reno's world yet again bled white.

000X000

Reno saw Aerith work magic countless times.

She was a master materia user—capable of even coaxing the most reluctant of summons from their crystalline slumber and casting the most powerful of spells, both that of healing and of devastation. On a few occasions he was granted a peek into the true nature of her innermost power, that of her Ancient heritage. The very Planet sang for all to hear when she called for aid. The Lifestream danced at her fingertips.

But this time, it was different.

He woke from his unconscious stupor, blood and dirt caked to his flesh, flowers surrounding him like an ethereal forest from the realm of dreams. The white cleared from his vision, but a certain glow remained. Reno forced himself to sit up, ignoring the ache of his many hurts, and gazed around the church. What was once a worn and weathered sanctuary now looked to be a ruin. Aside from the flowerbed, each petal untouched by the devastation, everything lay in waste.

Floorboards and columns that stood tall even after Midgar's fall and Edge's creation were but a twisted mess, unrecognizable.

Amongst the ruin lay a stain of pink.

The Turks were like dolls around her, scattered about and sprawled haphazardly, their navy suits tattered.

He rose shakily to his feet and ran as fast as his young legs could take him.

"Aer…Aerith…" Reno shouted, dropping to his knees beside the girl's prone form and shaking her roughly. Her form was still and cool, heavy and practically lifeless. "No…c'mon. Stay with me Aer. Won't let yah give up on me just yet." He brushed aside brunette bangs, the errant locks lacking their usual bounce and curl. "Wake up."

A low groan sounded behind him.

The redhead whipped around and stared with wide eyes as Tseng rose up, cradling his head to compress an actively bleeding wound. Dark eyes found Reno's and the Wutainese teen stared blankly in his direction. A quivering hand reached for the gun hidden with the confines of his suit. Reno instinctively lashed out, leaping away from Aerith and grappling with the Turk, blindly fighting to preserve two lives.

His fingers brushed against warm steel and then he was flying. The surreal experience lasted only a few seconds before he was bouncing, rolling and then, laying face down in the dirt. He couldn't believe it. Aerith had done all of this damage only to get kidnapped by the damn Turks! Reno pushed himself onto his hands and knees, his limbs leaden.

He heard the cocking of a pistol. His mind went to the gunshot wound already marking his chest. In all respects he should be dead, but then again, he had always been rather hard to kill. Reno recalled being shot, burned, tortured, crushed, dropped, drowned and countless other cruelties that came with the job of Turk. As long as the damage wasn't immediately fatal, it seemed to only slow him down for a while.

A wry smile crept upon the boy's lips.

"You gunna shoot me too. Your friend didn't do a real good job at killin' me."

"Why are you protecting the girl?"

"Aint any of your business why."

"Tell me or I will end your life."

"Go ahead, don't mind dyin' much." Reno managed to work his way to his feet,"'Specially since Aer…" He looked at the half-Cetra's prone form.

"Everyone is afraid of dying," Tseng murmured.

"Turks aint." Green eyes met those of brown. "And I aint." A note of regret crept into his voice as he added,"And she aint. Some of us are willin' and ready to die. We know our place and it aint livin' forever, that's for sure."

"She isn't human."

Reno chuckled darkly,"And that's a reason to let a madman treat her like an animal? Nah. Worse than an animal. Gutter rats have more rights than she does at Hojo's hands."

"How…?"

"How do I know?" The redhead moved back over to Aerith's small body and collapsed to his knees beside her. "I know lots of things. Yah just have tah listen a little 'round these parts. Slums has a lotta hard feelings for ShinRa." He stroke the girl's face,"And a lotta mistrust towards anyone who's different. Like you, like me…like her…and we aint that different…We all still flesh and blood and tears."

Silence drew between them.

"She needs medical attention."

Reno nodded absently.

"She will die if we leave her here. If she isn't already..." There was the faintest of heartbeat, the slightest of breath—yes, Aerith was alive, but barely. That stunt she pulled drained her young body.

"What 'bout your Turks?" Reno cut in sharply.

"Dead."

"Both of them?" Reno looked over his shoulder, noting how the two bodies lay side-by-side now. The stranger, whose name he never learned, had a jagged piece of wood thrust through his skull, and Rod was missing a large swatch of skin from his face and chest, leaving bare the muscle and bone beneath. Already things were changing and the redhead feared for what those changes would entail.

Tseng stepped into his line of view again, the pistol hidden from sight ye again.

"What do yah want?"

The Turk lifted an elegant brow.

"Aint nothin' free in this world."

"You assume…"

"I assume, yeah. What do yah want for helpin' Aer get healed up? And are yah gunna turncoat on me and take her to Hojo?"

Again, silence.

"You will have to trust me."

"I don't trust nobody. So what's your cost?"

Tseng slipped a PHS from his pocket and looked down at the device,"She took from ShinRa two Turks."

Reno closed his eyes, almost with disbelief,"An eye for an eye, eh? Guess there aint much choice…Aerith needs help and we're wastin' breath and time."

"Do we have an agreement?"

Reno said nothing, merely pressed his face into Aerith hair and begged for the flower girl to forgive him. She had become like a sister in this past year and she had looked to him with such confidence in her eyes. She hoped he could change and change the fate of the Planet, and here he was signing a deal with the devil all over again.

He breathed in her earthy scent.

The perfume of flowers ticked his nose, throat and lungs—choking him with sweetness.

**A/N: (Review please!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **

Um…yeah. Took a while to update, but here it is! Review please.

**Word Count: **2,340

**Warnings: (Language)**

**Pairing(s)(undetermined): **RenoxCloud(?), ZackxAerith

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing except the plot. This venture is for fun and not profit.

**Reflection**

**By Catsitta**

**Act III**

—_An unfavorable remark or observation—_

_"I'm sorry, Aer." Reno murmured as he watched her sleep. The sterile reek of the hospital invading his senses, flooding him with unwanted memories. So he focused his attention on the prone form of the young half-Cetra and counted the rise and fall of her chest. How small she looked, swimming in crisp, bleached sheets, her mass of hair like a puddle of whiskey…_

_ He wanted—needed—a drink so fucking badly!_

_ But he was what, nine…ten? Hardly old enough for even the loosest of men to offer him a sip of that bittersweet poison. This whole time traveling hero thing sucked in more than one way…while his body did not physically go through withdrawal, his mind still craved his favored vices—especially under stress. However, without a body that matched his actual age, Reno could only grit his teeth and bear it. Sneaking a smoke or a drink would do him no good, and while he could likely steal what he wanted, he refrained from doing so._

_ Damn was it hard, though…_

_ "It's been three days," Tseng said without preamble, walking up behind the redhead in his usual, silent manner. "No harm has come to her."_

_ "But she aint awake either." Reno shot back, clenching his fists and crumpling the white fabric he clutched desperately. _

_ "You need to eat…sleep. Allowing yourself to waste away will do her little good."_

_ "Don't tell me how tah live my life, Turk." _

_ "As I do recall, that is my job."_

_ "Just 'cause I agreed tah take your offer don't mean I'm happy 'bout it, yo!"_

_ "Reno…"_

_ "Don't call me that!" The redhead whipped around to face his superior. "That aint my name."_

_ Tseng leveled him with his dark gaze, and had Reno been a nine-year-old boy fresh from the slums, he might have backed down. He might have been cowed. But he had lived life already. He had seen things that would make most grown men cut their own throats out of sheer guilt…out of sheer abhorrence for the acts they had committed. A Turk, not even a fully-fledged boss (yet, Veld was still running things and would for a few more years), could do little to make him bow. Make him break._

_ "Then what is your name?"_

_ "Does it matter?" Reno retorted flippantly, an oddly devilish grin quirking onto his lips. "Even if I knew, I'd lose it. Part of bein' a Turk is leavin' behind who yah were and becomin' somethin' that yah aint." He chuckled. _

_ "Then what should I call you?"_

_ "Reno."_

_ "You just said…"_

_ "I know what I said!"_

_ The Wutainese man shook his head,"Are you on an illegal substance of some sort?"_

_ "No."_

_ "Your behavior is erratic."_

_ "Yah, and?"_

_ "There must be an explanation…"_

_ "Imma recoverin' alcoholic whose under a lotta stress. Yeah, I'm actin' strange."_

_ The look Tseng gave him was incredulous. "Do tell."_

_ Reno growled lowly in his throat,"I don't wanna talk 'bout it."_

_ "Very well." He turned on his heel and walked away, pausing only briefly at the door,"But do try and sleep, Reno. You do not wish to burden the girl with guilt when she wakes to your dead body, now do you?"_

_ The redhead bowed his head, muttering under his breath. However, he did comply with orders and nibbled on the food a nurse brought him and napped fitfully on the armchair at Aerith's bedside. Leaving her unguarded in an overplate hospital was the last thing Reno wanted to do, but sleep begged him into it's delicious embrace._

_ Perhaps Tseng was right, he needed to keep himself healthy…for Aerith._

_ Two weeks later, Reno found sleep almost impossible to capture. With the guilt over Aerith's condition, to the panic Elmyra was no doubt feeling for her missing daughter, to his own, inner demons clawing at his unconscious mind—he was slipping deeper and deeper into a place within himself he never wanted to see again. It was then when he felt weaker, more vulnerable than he had for years. _

_ For the first time, he felt like a child. Helpless to control a single thing._

_ "Aer…wake up…" Reno mumbled, his head resting on folded arms. "I don't know what to do no more."_

_ Only silence responded._

_ And for another week, he waited, sleepless._

_ It was when he sat, staring out the window, gazing at the mako-clouded night sky, that he heard a soft whisper break the cold quiet._

_ His head whipped around and two pairs of green eyes met._

_ "Aerith…" Reno murmured._

_ A smiled blossomed on her face,"I forgive you."_

_ The redhead fell to his knees at her bedside and began to cry—uncertain why; just knowing that he could stop. Aerith was alive….Aerith was alive…He could not stop saying it, because now that she was awake he knew it for certain…_

_ Aerith was alive!_

000X000

At nine, Reno became the youngest Turk on record.

At ten, he became a recognized prodigy.

At twelve, he possessed a kill record that matched that of the senior Turks.

At fifteen, he became Tseng's Second in Command.

At sixteen, he crossed paths with fate once again.

000X000

Reno let out a ragged sigh, his fingers absently tracing his tattooed scars. He sat on an overturned piece of rubble in the slums, a remnant of the church that had stood seven years earlier. Kneeling amongst the ruin was a teenaged Aerith, a smile on her face as she tended her flower garden and conversed with the spirits of the Lifestream. She seemed so unconcerned with the troubles of life, even more so than usual despite recent events.

After all, Genesis Rhapsodos had gone MIA and Angeal Hewley would soon. Despite his early placement in the Turks, there had been very little Reno could do to prevent the SOLDIERs from falling into madness…it was written into their genetics for Gaia's sake! He had tried slipping hints to the men, telling them about their heritage and whatnot, but the hotheaded Commanded had still run off with half the army in Wutai and was harassing his best friend into joining his crazed mission.

Nothing was going 'better' than before. Nothing! If anything, things were worse with the church destroyed and two Turks dead before their time. But, the Cetra seemed undeterred—happy, hopeful…she still believed he could change the world. Reno had yet to stop the first major event from going along right on track.

The Fall of Angels.

He was almost ready to give up on doing a damn thing and living life as he had before. But he did not, no matter how strong the temptation.

Maybe Aerith's optimism was rubbing off on him after all these years.

"You seem distracted."

Reno blinked, realizing that the girl he was thinking about was only a few feet away, wearing that trademark smile of hers. "Yeah…just thinkin'."

"A flower for your thoughts?" She held up a white bloom.

He let his fingers curl around the stem,"Sure…Say, what has you all in a good mood lately?" Both Aerith and the Turks had pressed him to clean up his speech pattern. There was a distinct, slum rat slur to some of his words, but for the most part, he had taken to speaking like an overplate dweller.

"Oh, just waiting for someone special."

Reno's eyebrows arched,"Is today the day?"

Aerith nodded.

"You aint worried about things being…changed?"

"There are some things written in stone, Reno, and unless you go and kill Zack off, we shall meet. The Planet calls him my chosen. We are drawn to each other…and She will make sure that we cross paths."

Reno chuckled under his breath,"Well, good luck, I guess."

"Thanks."

A few hours later, after the Turk's shift was over, a certain SOLDIER First Class fell from the Plate. He landed amongst a field of flowers and awoke to the greenest eyes he had ever seen.

000X000

At the same time Aerith and Zack met, Reno was crawling through the vents of the ShinRa building. Why the builders made the things wide enough for a grown man to climb through and have tea with his friends within was anyone's guess. But, he was thankful. They served a purpose.

Number one of which was to navigate through the building without being seen on camera.

Even as a Turk, Reno could not get to his destination any other way without compromising his mission.

After all, ShinRa made sure to keep a million eyes on their prized General and war machine. The man was close friends with Genesis, who was already gone, as well as with Angeal who was already suspected to be compromised. Sephiroth could go off the deep end at any moment, and only Reno and Aerith knew how true that was.

The man was emotionally fragile at the moment and potentially volatile. Sephiroth's mental stability was key. Should he falter, the world would fall by the edge of his blade. So it was Reno's self-imposed mission to prevent this.

However, step one of his plan was difficult to enact…

Getting close.

Who knew the man would be so good at avoiding everything and anyone? Sneaking up on him seemed to be the only way to get within a mile of the guy…

"Ah…here we are…" Reno murmured, at last finding his stop. Peering down through the grating covering the ventilation shaft in which he hid, he caught sight of silver hair. He had made it. The General's office. Now to observe and plan how best to approach the situation…

Then he saw something that made all his well-formed plans scatter.

"What in Gaia's name is Cloud doing in the General's office?"

Said aforementioned blond Cadet was standing across from Sephiroth, a trapped expression on his face. Those blue eyes of his were wide, terrified, almost like a deer caught in headlights. Reno could see a visible tremble rippling through the boy's body. The once hero of Gaia was only…what? Fourteen. Just a small town kid without many social skills, a pretty face and a small stature that made him prey to opportunistic bullies.

Yeah, he read his profile. Why wouldn't he? Reno had been curious what the grand savior of the Planet had been like in his years with ShinRa before Hojo got his claws on him. And well, what he had found was far from impressive. Cloud was a wreck and aside from his stubborn determination, there was nothing about him that would suggest him being SOLDIER material.

In fact, many of his Sergeants had submitted requests for the boy to be transferred into another department for his own safety.

Cloud probably didn't even know how little people believed in him. Or perhaps he did. There had to be more to the guild-ridden complex the man he was familiar with had than just a few failures that led to deaths.

"Y-you wanted to speak with me, General s-sir?"

Reno shook his mind clear, focusing his attention on the conversation below.

"Indeed…do sit…Strife." Sephiroth said, his voice cool but silky, unintentionally seductive…intentionally dismissive.

It was then they engaged in a drawn out exchange about the SOLDIER exams. Why, Reno had no idea since the General typically paid no attention to anyone below the rank of First Class. But the conversation stayed entirely professional despite the redhead's suspicions. At least, until Cloud stood up to leave.

The boy was a mess and looked ready to cry. He had been told by the man he idolized, in more socially accepted terms, that he was useless and only worth was on his knees. And when said man beckoned him closer instead of allowing the blond to leave, alarm bells went off in Reno's head. Something was not right!

He immediately began to pry away the bolts securing the grating and less than a minute later, he jumped down and landed on Sephiroth's desk.

A growl greeted him and Reno found himself staring into bright, mako-green eyes.

What a first impression to make...

"What are you doing here, Turk?" The man nearly snarled, a slight twitch of his shoulder drawing Reno's attention southwards. There, knelt on the ground, was a furiously blushing Cloud Strife, his head bowed with shame, the General's hand curled in his spiky hair.

It both shocked and sickened the redhead. If this is what Cloud had endured before the Nibelheim incident, no wonder the kid went nuts. Not only were his peers abusive towards him, but the man he idolized was willing to manipulate his attentions for his own satisfaction.

"You are one sick fuck, you know that right?" Reno countered, jumping off the desk and laying a hand on his EMR meaningfully.

"This is none of your business," Sephiroth said,"Leave."

"Not without the kid."

"'m not a kid!" Cloud piped in.

"Pfft! You're fourteen."

"Fifteen."

"Big difference, eh? C'mon kid, get up."

"N-no. I…I want this. It's consensual."

Reno shook his head and grabbed the back of Cloud's uniform, earning himself a cold glare from the General. "You don't even know what 'this' is, kid. Trust me."

"But…"

"No." Reno pulled Cloud with him, edging around Sephiroth's desk, wary of the ice in those green eyes. "And you better be thankful that the President turns a blind eye to this shit. Otherwise you'd be court martialed for sexual harassment and the use of rank for sexual favors from a _minor_!"

Sephiroth titled his chin arrogantly.

"Sick bastard…"

"But…"

"Shush. I'm getting you outta here kid." Reno pulled him out of the office and shut the door.

"But if I had stayed…"

"You would be no closer to being a SOLDIER than before."

"I…" Cloud visibly sagged, the fight leaving him. "I'm just a failure…"

"Nah, you aint a failure kid." Reno told him, most dragging the blond down the hall,"You just haven't found what you're supposed to do in this world."

"If not a SOLDIER, what in Gaia's name can I be? Cannon fodder?"

Reno mused the question for a moment before letting the first answer that came to mind escape,"How about a delivery boy?"

**A/N: ( Review please! )**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **

This took waay longer than expected. I blame losing my flash drive right before I finished the chapter, thus leading to my not wanting to rewrite it for a while. But, here it is! Enjoy.

**Word Count: **2,085

**Warnings: (Language)**

**Pairing(s): **Mild RenoxCloud,ZackxAerith, and a hint of one-sided RudexTifa

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing except the plot. This venture is for fun and not profit.

**Reflection**

**By Catsitta**

_ 'A transformation in which the direction of one axis is reversed or which changes the sign of one of the variables' _

**Act IV**

"What are you doing here, Turk?"

Reno rolled his eyes and continued his self-assured saunter through the ruined remains of Aerith's church. He wasn't going to be intimidated by some overconfident puppy of a SOLDIER, no matter how much the brat bared his teeth and growled. Of all the people for Aerith to fall in love with, it had to be Zack Fair. The only comfort the Turk found in the pairing was the fact that the raven-haired First Class would protect the flower girl until his dying breath.

Unfortunately, Aerith seemed to have left out a few details when retelling her life story to Zack.

"Hey! Stop it right there," the SOLDIER snarled, drawing his Buster Sword and stepping between Reno and his none too amused girlfriend. "What do you want with Aerith?"

With grunt, the redhead drew to a stop and leaned up against a wooden beam. Zack was in guard dog mode and Reno wanted to keep all of his limbs intact, thank you very much. Thus he lazily eyed the First Class for a long moment, saying nothing, before allowing a sly smirk to creep onto his lips. "How you been, Aer? This moron takin' good care of yah?"

A giggle escaped Aerith's lips, breaking her cute pout and all semblance of anger,"He's been good, Reno." She then reached over and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. How frail and tiny she looked against the muscle bound SOLDIER. The man was capable of snapping her in half between his fingers like a twig! But if he so much as left a bruise on that pale skin of hers…

"Wait. How do you two know each other?"

"What do you mean Zack?"

"I know you have a Turk crew protecting you, but I didn't think you knew any of them personally…" The puppy looked honestly confused and was glancing between Reno and Aerith with wide eyes. Gaia he looked like a moron! "And Tseng said that as long as you were happy, none of them would interfere with…us. You know?"

Refraining from voicing his thoughts, Reno chuckled with amusement. "You really don't know nothin', do you Fair?"

"Hey!"

"I'm not here 'cause I'm a Turk. In fact, as long as Aerith is safe and happy, I am obligated to keep a distance from her and those affiliated with her." The redhead stuffed his hands into his suit pockets and gave Zack a hard glare, shifting the mood of the conversation dramatically. "I'm here 'cause Aerith is my little sis and I'll be damned if I let anything, or anyone, hurt her."

Zack's mako-blue eyes widened and his jaw momentarily dropped,"Y-you are…but?" He turned and looked at Aerith desperately, "He's your brother? Reno of the Turks, is YOUR brother?"

"Yes." she piped. "Adopted brother, of course, but we've known each other since we were very young."

"And as her big brother, it is my duty to make your life a living hell," Reno quipped with an evil grin. Then he glanced at his PHS,"but I'm afraid my time for harassing you has come to end…for today."

"Bye Reno! Are you coming to dinner tonight? Mom is making your favorite, Everything in a Pot Stew."

"Is numbskull here going to be there?"

"No…Mom doesn't trust him very much…but Tseng will be there."

"Wait! Why is the leader of the Turks joining you for dinner?" Zack looked as if his head were about to implode from confusion.

"He's a family friend…and I may have to thank him for saving my life."

Reno grunted and shook his head,"Your life would've never been in danger is it weren't for him and the others…"

"Oh shush. Forgive and forget, Reno…and don't you have someplace to be?"

"Right," the redhead eyed the brunette. She was getting huffy again. Maybe it was that time of the month? "Just take care of yourself, okay Aer?" With a wave, he left the pair behind. No matter how much his brotherly instincts told him to loom over and threaten Zack, he knew he had to let things take their natural course. That, and he had other matters to attend to.

Like Cloud.

It'd been six months since the incident with the General, and since then, a lot had happened. Commander Hewley had officially defected from ShinRa and was missing. Genesis copies were popping up all over the place and causing trouble. Zack was promoted to Sephiroth's second in command. And Sephiroth was starting to display signs of anxiety, depression and paranoia—just like he had the first time, before his fall into madness. Rumor had it that the General was considering defecting ShinRa soon. If things played out as they had before, in less than six months, Sephiroth would go on his final and fateful mission into Nibelhiem.

Also, on a more positive note, Reno had helped set Cloud up on his feet. Pulling the blond from the SOLDIER program had been the first and most difficult step in the process. After that it had been a matter of pulling strings and getting the kid set up with a cheap motorcycle and a PHS. Cloud was a natural at being a delivery boy! He had a knack for numbers and was good at remembering names and locations. With the money he was earning, Cloud had even managed to buy a cheap bangle with materia to go in the slots and a lump of metal he could swing and call a sword.

The boy positively glowed with pride whenever Reno saw him.

This was the right path for the kid. But it left Reno with a predicament. If Cloud never went to Nibelhiem, then if Sephiroth fell victim to Jenova's thrall, no one would be able to stop him. The insane General would not only raze the town, but he would launch an assault on the Planet. He had taken the Planet's hero out of the equation…

Then again, Aerith told him that he was the hero. The Planet wanted Reno as its chosen. It hadn't been Cloud that was sent back in time to change the future, it had been Reno. Thus it was time to put his haphazard "plan" into action.

_'I'm doing everythin' I can to make things right.'_

000X000

To Reno's surprise, the first thing that greeted him when he walked into Cloud's broom closet of an apartment (which he conveniently had a key to), was a wall covered in photos and newspaper clippings. Half-expecting a shine to one hero or another, the Turk was surprised to see, that, pinned at the center of the papery mass was a photograph of a girl. Tifa Lockheart to be specific.

He whistled,"Damn Strife. You got good taste." With a long fall of dark-brunette hair, sable eyes and a cowboy hat—Tifa was any straight, teenage boy's dream girl. Reno knew from experience that the girl may look soft with all those curves, but she had a hard right hook.

"Uh…hello? What are you doing here?"

"Cloud! Buddy. How yah doing?" The blond blinked at him, clearly confused as he stood in the doorway, his spiky hair nearly flat from sweat.

"I'm good." Cloud replied, offering a good-natured smile at last. "Need something or just here to say hello?"

The redhead sidled closer and swung an arm around the boy's shoulders,"Both." He then pointed at the wall of paper,"But, before I get to asking for a favor, let me congratulate you on getting such a fine lookin' lady. Where'd you meet her?"

The blush that overtook Cloud's features was amusing as was the stutter that colored his voice,"S-she…she…I…not…er…Tifa's not!"—he swallowed—"Tifa's just a friend. Just…a friend. We were neighbors back in Nibelhiem."

"Yeah right," Reno winked and nudged Cloud in the ribs. "But, back to business. I have a teensy favor to ask of you, kid."

"Favor?"

"Something simple. A little out of the way. You'll be well compensate of course."

"Spit it out already!"

"Fine, don't be snappy!" Reno ruffled Cloud's hair playfully. "I need you to run a couple errands for me. Personally. That's all you have to do to repay me for this sweet gig you got goin' on here." The blond arched a brow, clearly disbelieving. "What? I swear on my honor as a Turk that nothin' I send you out to do will put you in danger and for any lost business you will be paid for in full."

"Okay…I guess so."

"Sweet! I knew I could count on you kid." The redhead promptly swung the blond around, nearly sending Cloud tumbling. "Now, for your first mission, I need you deliver some parts to Cid Highwind in Rocket Town."

"Parts? Rocket Town?"

"Yeah. Rocket Town is the hub of the new space program. There are some replacement parts needed for the project but ShinRa is being cheap and is delayin' shipping the stuff in hopes Highwind will give up. I need you to make a run there."

Cloud's eyes widened,"Rocket parts? How I'm I supposed to even get a hold of that sort of thing, much less get them over the ocean?!"

"Don't worry. It's covered. Just follow the instructions in this envelope. You'll also find a ticket for a ferry and an advance on your pay." Reno fished he white scrap from within his jacket. It had taken a lot of research, some bribery and some hacking to arrange this. He had a plan, and for the love of Gaia it had to work, otherwise the world was going to be in worse shape than the first time around. "Got it?"

"Um…I guess?"

"Good," the Turk flicked the envelope in Cloud's direction and slipped through the door,"Oh, and it'd be a good idea to buy yourself some better gear on your way. Just to be safe, 'kay?" And with that, the redhead was gone, leaving behind a startled a somewhat flustered blond.

000X000

Three weeks later found Reno in Nibelhiem.

His new partner, Rude, was at his side, expressionless as they went about their mission. It had taken all of Reno's skill and smarts to create a fake emergency worthy of a Turk investigation. Now, it would take even more to lose his partner so that he could continue with his plan. What would distract the reserved and ever-vigilant Rude?

The answer literally came running up to them.

'_Tifa Lockheart,' _Reno thought slyly, '_perfect.'_

If there had ever been one person that fazed Rude in the slightest it was Tifa. The man had a crush on her and if his memory served him right, even went on a few dates with the girl once the incident with Meteor was over. Of course, she had longed after the hero turned pariah, Cloud and what was between her and Rude never quite worked out. But judging by the way the bald man was watching the teenager bounce their way; love might have a second chance.

After all, the age difference wasn't that great. She was perhaps fifteen and his partner twenty. In a few years, when was eighteen or so, they'd make a pretty pair. And why in Gaia's name was Reno playing matchmaker in his head? He had a mission to do!

"Yo! We're on official business, Miss."

Rude glanced over at him, clearly perturbed by Reno's feigned seriousness.

"Oh," Tifa paused, looking a little shy as she adjusted her cowboy hat. "Sorry, it's just that you guys look like you're from ShinRa…and I was hoping you'd be able to tell me about someone."

"Miss, we aint here for a social visit."

"Reno…" Rude, despite his stoic demeanor, was just too easy to read like a book and play like a deck of cards.

"Awe, fine. You chat up the civilians while I take care of business." Reno grunted and rolled his eyes. He'd spent most of the flight here establishing that he was having a shitty day and was in a bad mood. It had required him to be uncharacteristically moody and quiet throughout the trip, but his charade was apparently working, because Rude shrugged and nodded his consent. "Good luck with crowd control. I know how much you just _love _to be at the center of attention."

The bald Turk shook his head,"Stop being a brat, Reno."

"Whatever. I'm outta here."

As he walked away, Reno smirked. He could hear Tifa chattering away excitedly and at the corner of his eye, he could see the barest trace of Rude smiling.

**A/N: (You have to admit. When Tifa was supposedly 'thirteen' in FF7 flashbacks, she didn't look like any thirteen year old I've ever seen. Cloud looked like a little kid, but she pretty much looked like an adult. Girls mature faster I guess, but it seemed a little extreme…hehe.**

**Anywho, thank you for reading.)**


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